Category: Arts

The Royal Ontario Museum is definitely a sight to see, and one that you likely pass by frequently walking across campus to different classes. It is located between St. George and Museum subway stations and is one of the most convenient tourist spots location-wise for University Of Toronto students in particular. Even Museum station itself is beautifully designed as a nod to the institution’s collections. Not to mention the fact that General admission to the Museum is free to full-time students attending a Canadian post-secondary institution on Tuesdays when valid school ID is presented. Talk about a sweet deal!

The ROM originally had one major gallery for archaeology, geology, mineralogy, palaeontology, and zoology. Nowadays, there are frequent new limited-edition exhibits that are not covered by our student general admission, such as the tattoo exhibit recently launched.

You can view that entire museum at an comfortable pace in one afternoon. I really enjoy a visual representation of history rather than how school introduces students to history via mandatory boring history classes in high school. The first thing to notice about ROM is the beautiful architectural design from the outside that has a modern asymmetrical vibe. Inside is very easy to navigate with a map pamphlet, although I would encourage you to view the museum at your own pace and not necessarily stick to a single planned route. The fun part of the museum is discovering the exhibits on different floors and taking as much time as needed to enjoy the full experience.

I hope this blog article gave you an honest student perspective on this tourism spotlight of the ROM. Happy exploring!

I tried to keep this calendar as universal as possible, but I just couldn’t waft away the aroma of Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re single or in a romantic relationship, Valentine’s Day is a day of love and care. You may go with a simple card from your local craft store for your friends, a box of chocolates for your family, or even a bouquet of roses for your special someone. Why not go with something handmade like an origami rose (this one will last you a lifetime!) Check out the pdf here for instructions.

A stem for the roses can also be made from rolling a small piece of green paper. (Disclaimer: I did not make this rose myself!)

Muji is a “Minimalist Japanese retailer with a wide range of generic products, including apparel and home goods” (from Google). For this blog post, I’ll be reviewing a small selection from their stationery section.

Muji pens are my favourite product they offer. For a decent price, you can choose from a range of pen sizes: 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. The 0.3 mm pens are a bit too thin, so I prefer the 0.4 mm. Their pens are quite inky: they don’t spill onto the next page but they do run out of ink fast! It’s been hardly a month into school and I’ve already burned through quite a few (this being my second haul this semester).

To save space, I went with the tri-pen (is this even the right word for it?) Basically, it’s an empty pen capsule that lets you put in three pen inks, which you buy separately. Pen inks range from 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm and there are three basic colours to choose from: red, blue and black. Blue and black are my go-to colours.

Instead of having to haul three different pens in my pencil case, I can play it clean and simple with a tri-pen (I’m sure this is a word I’ve made up by now). Once the tri-pen’s inks run out, you can easily buy another refill and keep on writing. (I hoard a handful for convenience’s sake).

The tri-pen I was trying to describe and their pen refills.

There are also a wide range of normal coloured pens to choose from:

Some coloured pens

This is actually my first time purchasing Muji notebooks so I can’t say for certain how well they’ll fit my tastes, but they are a bit thin and I’d probably burn through them in a month as well. The biggest incentive to buying these notebooks is the decoration area they have set up right next to the cash register. After you’ve purchased your plain notebooks you can head on over to the deco-area and stamp them up with different designs (yes, the notebooks in the photo above used to be blank)! Here’s a picture of the stamp table from Google:

So if you’re into cute, simple stationery supplies, Muji is definitely the place for you! Visit their website for more information, products, and prices . Cheers!

With a new year comes a new semester and a fresh start. To set things off, I’ll be kicking it old school with a printed January 2016 calendar. I have calendar apps on my phone, tablet, and computer, but nothing beats paper and pen. With digital apps comes reminders, but I seem to always to swipe them away with a flick of a finger. With a printed calendar, I’ll have it taped on my desk, staring me smack in the face, a continuous reminder of things to finish and deadlines to meet.

The January 2016 calendar shown above is available for download and print right here at blogUT.ca. It was designed by yours truly. Two sizes are available: a full letter sized calendar and a smaller one as pictured. Personally, I prefer the smaller calendar since my desk is pretty small, but if you’re a busybody with more things to add, the full 8.5 ” x 11 ” is definitely the one for you.

University is the prime time to experience new things and reinvent yourself. While this transformation could take the form of a new haircut, a new piercing, a new wardrobe, or a new-and-improved personality, one of the easiest and most fun reinventions is redecorating your home. Although we may not realize it, A LOT of our time as students is spent in our rooms. Why? Not for sleeping of course, but for studying! That’s why as a student I try my best to surround myself with motivation. One source of this motivation is based in Toronto and named Athaliah, a home-accessory online shopping site that focuses on brightening and inspiring individuals. This business provides unique and diverse pieces of decoration. Athaliah is a lifestyle boutique that was created specifically for those looking to find pieces that cannot be found anywhere else, and will certainly make any room pop. How, you ask? Simple. Each product is from a different place in the world, and handmade. Athaliah has a variety of pieces to suit every desired look. It has a range of Handmade and Exclusive pieces, Pre-loved and Vintage Re-designs, and charming and original Inspiration and Community house plants, accent pieces, and patterned projects. With all this in mind, now you can finally mismatch the artwork on your wall, throw a cute pillow on your studying chair and place an “oh-so kawaii” plant on your desk.

Interested in electronic music? As per one commenter’s request, read on to learn more about U of T’s only electronic music community!

blogUT: How was the UTEMC created and what is its mission?

UTEMC: The UTEMC was created by two close friends who have been going to EDM events together forever. They decided to create a club where U of T electronic music fans could come together to meet other people and attend events together, as well as foster a culture of electronic music appreciation by fans from all over the three campuses. Our mission is to establish a group of like-minded individuals with an interest in electronic music and DJ events. Our goal to is set up a place for everybody to congregate and discuss events (both upcoming and past), new music, or just to meet somebody else with whom you might share a similar electronic music taste to. Throughout the year we’re going to be hosting events to bring people together, including in-house DJing events and workshops. Continue reading “Club Profile: University of Toronto Electronic Music Community (UTEMC)”